390: What fits what?

[edglenn]

I'm thinking of finding an old 390 and building it up, while I keep the original 390 in my '72. It runs, but it's stock with 2 bbl.
My question is: I found an old 1968 LTD with factory 390. I think it may have come with a 4 barrel intake (cast iron), etc.
So, is a 390 a 390, in any Ford? I know that sounds stupid, but if I get a 390 from something else, will it bolt up, same splines, etc, to my 4 speed tranny? It wouldn't do any good to build up a performance engine with RV cam and lifters, and not be able to bolt it in.
I really don't want to pull the F250's engine and rebuild it, because I use it as my daily driver. It was a replacement for the stock 360 around 15 years ago, and the truck's not going to be matching #'s.
Are all 390 blocks the same? Is there a 4 bolt main vs. a 2 bolt main in the FE's? Do I need to look for casting numbers?
Thanks in advance!
BTW: I got my rusty floorpans replaced, interior fixed up, in-cab tank vatted and cleaned, and welded up a heavy duty 2 inch receiver hitch for my camper. You guys were right; replacing the water pump bypass hose without 90 degree fittings was the way to go. Now I need to fab a fan-shroud with my MIG welder.
I'll post updated pictures soon.
p.s. LOTS of old Fords here in New Mexico. Just need to know where to look.

[fordman]

a car 390 will be  built more as a lighter faster version than a truck 390. 4bbl intakes should be used with the 4v heads that are from the engine the intake came off of.  all accessory pulleys and bracket  will be truck or car only. as long as they all used as a set.  but  the basic 390 is a 390. all the internals swap over.  the 390 is called  afe block. which can include many  bore and stroek combinations. there are also other fe blocks otu htere  that have certain bore sizes such as the 427 . and then there is also the 428 which can be made from the right 390 block and bore. thats abotuthe best i can say. there are numbers on the blocks. mainly below the  oil filter. other numbers may be found on the back of the block. but i dont knwo what to look for to tell you its a 428 or 427 so forth. there are other identifing marks. but i dotn know what they are.

[Mancar1]

   I have pulled a 390 from a 67 T-Bird and put it in a 65 CS to replace the 352. What a difference.

[hazelnut]

All FE motors are the same on the outside except for some of the early ones (58-64), A few bolt holes in different places (I think). Car and truck motors can be used eather way you wish as long as you have the brackets from the car or truck your putting it in so you dont have to try to figure out what fits what. All FEs are 2 bolt main blocks except for the 427 and that had a 2 bolt main to but also had crossbolt mains. No sutch thing as 2bbl and 4bbl heads for FEs, Only 351 clevelands have that as far as i know. FEs have low riser, medium riser, high riser and other heads but the other heads are high performance and dont think youll run accross them without big money being paid for them. A LTD and truck both use low riser heads so it would be a good engine to rebuild for your truck.

[edglenn]

Thanks! Good to know, when I come across a decent 390 that someone's getting rid of.
Might just buy one, to build this winter.

[robroy]

Good evening Ed,

I think your questions have already been covered, yet they reminded me of a couple of old threads.  There's probably nothing new for you in them, but maybe you'd be curious to take a quick look:

What benefits do exotic FEs (390HP, 406, 427, 428) provide?
What does an "n bolt main" mean, where n is usuall...

Robroy

[edglenn]

I appreciate everyone's information. It helps greatly.
One of the reasons I was a little confused about the 360/390 series is the Ford Specifications. There's reference to the 360, the 390, and the 361 HD and 391 HD engines. The spec chart shows subtle differences for each engine, such as Bore & Stroke, valve sizes and spring pressures, and Head combustion chamber volumes. Not much, but just enough. Also, the 360-2v has 8.0:1 compression, and the 390-2v has 8.2:1  compression. However, they don't list a 390-4v for trucks, at all. Only the 391 HD came with 4bbl, with 7.2:1 compression.
Ford makes no mention of block casting numbers to differentiate between the 360/390 series and the 361HD/391HD engines. They use the Engine Identification Tag (You know, the pesky metal tag that always gets discarded?).
Also, the Ford Engine ID chart shows that the 360-2v (Code Y) came in the F-100/250/350 trucks only.
The 390-2v (Code H) was used in the same series trucks. The 361-2v (Code E) came in the 600/700/750 series trucks, and the 391-4v (Code F) came in the 750/800's.
I don't have  an engine ID chart for passenger cars, only the 1972 Truck Service Manuals. I wanted to make sure that a 390-4v from and LTD, for example, would be rebuildable, and bolt into the F-250, with the same tranny splines.
To really confuse the issue: The Ford engine rebuild section has different sub-sections for the 330HD, 361 and 391 Engines, but I don't see any real difference between that and the 360/390's, as far as parts go.

[Barry_R]

The HD engines came with steel cranks, cast iron timing covers, often different heads and accessory drives.  Pretty much all you'll want to use is the block.  Cranks can sometimes be modified into a race piece - could be worth a few bucks to the right guy at teh right time.

[tnbumper]

I tried to install a '59 352 out of a Galaxie into a '72 bump a long time ago, but was unable to due to the location of the bolt holes for attaching the mounts. I opted for a 360 on that project. The '68 4-v 390 should work out great. The 4-v heads have the bosses on the exhaust mounting flange that can be drilled for the cross pattern that may increase your options of headers if you go that route.

[hazelnut]

The 4-v heads have the bosses on the exhaust mounting flange that can be drilled for the cross pattern that may increase your options of headers if you go that route.[/quote]


There is no sutch thing as a 4bbl head for a FE, FEs have low riser, medium riser, high riser heads. 2bbl and 4bbl heads are for 351 cleveland engines only.

[edglenn]

I found a pair of rebuilt heads this morning. The guy wants $250. They evidently have the hardened seats, etc. Still in plastic. He traded-out for some work and thinks they came from a 1974 truck.
So, we'll see what they look like.
Thanks again for the help!

[edglenn]

The heads were junk. Too bad. Probably better to use my old ones anyway.